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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
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A December to remember

a Helping hand: From left, Olga Major, Andrei Galynine and Yualiya Burdeyna climb across a berm on the 900 block of West Riverside Avenue on Dec. 29. (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)
a Helping hand: From left, Olga Major, Andrei Galynine and Yualiya Burdeyna climb across a berm on the 900 block of West Riverside Avenue on Dec. 29. (Christopher Anderson / The Spokesman-Review)

It was one for the record books.

December was the snowiest month in the Inland Northwest since record- keeping began in 1881. Some of the startling statistics: 61.5 inches of snow fell in Spokane during December, while in Coeur d’Alene the National Weather Service total was 56.1 inches. An average December in the region brings just under 14 inches of snow.

The storm that started it all buried the 1950 record for 24-hour snowfall, with 19.4 inches falling on Dec. 17 and Dec. 18. The previous 24-hour record was 13 inches.

As records toppled, residents grappled with icy roads and sweated to clear driveways and roofs, all while trying to prepare for and celebrate two major holidays.

Today at spokesman.com/sections/ winterstorm and in this special pullout section, we take a look back at what was truly a December to remember.